Staunton Military Academy
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Staunton Military Academy was founded in September 1860, by William Hartman Kable (1837-1912) at Charles Town, Virginia, in Jefferson County (now West Virginia). It's original name was the Charlestown Male Academy. Kable was a graduate of the University of Virginia. His goal - to teach and train young men of America to become good and serviceable citizens. At the start of the American Civil War William Kable joined the Confederate Army and served with distinction as a Captain in the 10th Virginia Cavalry, Southern Army(CSA).
During the war the north-western counties of Virginia where the town of Charlestown was situated, became a part of the new state of West Virginia. After the war, Captain Kable re-established his school at its original location. During this time-period the school was known to the townspeople as The Kable School, and its Cadets were known as the "Kable boys". and conducted it there until 1883.
In 1883, the school moved to Staunton, Virginia and became Staunton Male Academy. Captain Kable bought the site on the hill from a Mr. Alby, a prominent businessman of the decade following the Civil War. The original grounds were much smaller than the present campus, now occupied by Mary Baldwin College. Acquisition of other large areas of land near the Alby estate continued until 1910. The relocation to Staunton provided the school with a much more desirable location and surroundings.
The school adopted the military system in 1886, With a change in name to Staunton Military Academy, or SMA.
The Academy grew quickly. In 1893, the school was incorporated.
In 1900, Captain Kable turned over to his son, Colonel William Gibbs Kable (1872-1920), the management of the academy. Colonel William G. Kable proved to be very capable in school building and in school management. The Academy grew and prospered. Its new president was a firm believer in advertising and used this medium extensively to bring the attention of the school to the public. A large, three story frame barracks was Built during these years. Its basement had a large room, which was used for a gymnasium, for drilling cadets during inclement weather and social functions .
In November 1904, disaster struck SMA. A fire destroyed the entire establishment, except for the founder's home and the old school hospital. Both barracks burned to the ground, but because of the brave and swift action of all involved, there was not the loss of a single life.
Construction of the South Barracks was begun on March 1, 1905, and the building was completed on October 1, only 214 days in construction. This was remarkably great speed, and in order to accomplish the task over one hundred workmen kept busy day and night, working with the aid of large lights.
From this point on the development of SMA was rapid. The Mess Hall was constructed in 1913 on the site of the original mess hall, a frame building commonly known as "The Wing." In 1918, construction of the North Barracks was completed. By the 1930's, the SMA campus also boasted Kable Hall, Memorial Hall, West Barracks, and the Superintendent's home. In November 1966, Tullidge Hall, was dedicated and became the new Junior School.
In 1917, the Academy became an official unit of the Junior Reserve Officer's Training Corps (JROTC) Program. Two Regular Army First Sergeants were assigned to provide military instruction.
SMA survived the Great Depression and later prospered, becoming one of the country's most prestigious military preparatory schools. Situated on the Hill with an enrollment that exceeded 600 cadets, SMA grew into a strong economic force in the Staunton community. In addition, the cadets often participated in parades at various occasions in Staunton and neighboring towns.
With the 1960s came a new generation, geared to permissiveness and nonconformity, rather than regimentation and discretion. The fallout from Vietnam helped perpetuate an anti-military sentiment that further eroded enrollments at military schools throughout the country. Despite the best efforts of a dedicated and talented faculty and staff, inflation and unemployment proved drove the school towards bankruptcy in the early 1970s
Faced with the prospect of bankruptcy, the Kable family elected to sell the academy. The new owner, Layne Loeffler, changed SMA's charter to non-profit status when he took over the school in 1973. But it was too late. The deteriorating situation, combined with management problems, forced the academy to close in 1976, some 116 years after its founding. Mary Baldwin College, SMA's longtime neighbor and "big sister" bought the property for $1.1 million in a bankruptcy sale.
Some of SMA's more notable alumni include Senator Barry Goldwater, his two sons, Michael and Barry, Jr. (Barry Jr. who would become a U.S. Representative, roomed with John Dean of Watergate infamy); former Postmaster General Mel Blount; World War II Navy "Ace of Aces" and Medal of Honor recipient, David McCampbell;John Fisher, former chairman of the board of Ball Corporation; Walter Taylor, owner of Taylor Wines, folk-protest singer Phil Ochs and many others in sports, military and the arts.
Today, many of the buildings where SMA cadets lived and learned are still used by Mary Baldwin. The sign, "SMA Mess Hall" still hangs over the entrance to the building that was built in 1913 and is a National Historic Landmark. The military legacy of the academy's grounds continues through the college's Virginia Women's Institute for Leadership (VWIL), the only all women's Corps of cadets in the world.
This article incorporates text from the public domain Staunton Military Academy Alumni Association History Webpage.
